Journey of Penn
by blackXroseX93
Summary: The land of Rutuba is in disarray. Famine, disease, and the war between the Empire and the Rebellion have caused the great spirits to weaken. Follow the Journey of Penn as she becomes entangled in a whole new kind of rebellion.
1. Drafted

Long ago ancient elemental spirits protected the land, allowing life to flourish, allowing humans to rise and prosper. The skies were beautiful shades of blue, and the grass below everyone's feet was soft and green. The spirits were strong and relied on no man's power that is until the humans began to forget their places, attempting to claim the power of the spirits for their own. That is when the Empire emerged. Offering shelter for humans across the land, its power grew exponentially as the power of the spirits weakened.

In their weakened state, the spirits fled, being forced to form pacts with the humans they once protected. The pacts created could only be made when both spirit and human are at the brink of death. The human must sacrifice something to the spirit, in order for the spirit to entwine their life forces together.

In vain the Empire constantly searched for the spirits, hoping to gain their power for their own use. Decades past, and many have long forgotten of their existence. Since then the Empire has flaunted its power, taxing its subjects to the point of starvation in an attempt to expand its own sphere of influence through force. The rise of the Rebellion has caused great grief to the Empire, promising to bring freedom to the people unfortunately at the cost of replacing the old governing system with its own flawed corrupt one.

Towards the edges of what use to be a flourishing forest, lining a river is a small village. A teenage girl of sixteen emerges from a hut built of clay bricks, dabbing her face with a grease stained wash cloth, "Pops!"

A large muscular man walks from around back. His dark eyes carrying years of wisdom, as his face shows sign of aging and worry. With black hair slowly turning gray, he wipes his ever dirty hands on his overalls. "Yeah Penelope?" He looks over his daughter in pride. Clutching a wrench in one hand, the petite, dark haired girl smiles, causing emerald eyes to light up her pale face.

"Yeah so that engine that was dropped off here. I think I've got it running again!" With pride she adjusts her red bandana which is used to keep most of her hair out of her face.

Stroking the stubble on his chin the older man laughs, "Really now, all by yourself eh? Come on kiddo let's go check it out." Entering the hut with his daughter he watches as she pours fuel into the machine. A little shaky at first, the engine soon roars to life. The man's hand plants itself on top of Penelope's head, ruffling her head, "Good job kiddo, I'm proud." He smiles, "I have a gift for you tonight. Go clean up, and I'll set up the table for dinner."

Watching the girl disappear, worry strikes the man's face as he stares at the letter lying on the table. His little Penelope has turned of age to join the war effort, having already lost his wife to the sounds of gunfire he was determined not to lose his child. Mixing what small amount of soup he had managed to scrounge up, his thoughts go to the pair of overalls lying on the counter. They would be big on the malnourished child, but that uniform would save her from service. In his eyes, the man had done the best thing for his daughter. Having raised her to be a skilled mechanic, she will be safe inside a workshop and not out on the field being shot at.

"Pops! What are we…?" She stops as her dad holds up the overalls and the letter. "What's this?"

"Your service letter came in. You're of age now to join the war… five years you must serve…" He sighs as depression sinks into his features, "But…this is exactly why I've taught you my skills. With these overalls, you won't be handed a gun or a bomb. This uniform will be what keeps you alive. The medics, go out onto the fields and are shot at, the soldiers…are just moving targets. You'll be safe behind workshop doors."

Taking the overalls and letter Penelope looks up at her dad is disbelief, "…f-five years? I won't see you for that long? What if something happens?! You're getting sicker and sicker by the day a-and…!"

"I will do my best to visit you, but you know in my condition I can hardly leave town anymore. Ms. Sarah will make sure I'm okay." Penelope is shocked as two strong hands find her shoulders and she looks into her father's dark tear stained eyes, "Listen to me closely Penn. Be careful, and show your skill. If they deem you worthless you'll be out on the field. I raised you to be tough, don't let anyone lay a hand on you. And…if military fire finds its way to your workshop, you drop everything and run. You know how to survive in the woods; don't be a hero, run!"

Penelope bites her lower lip, "But Pops, deserters are tortured and ki…"

"Which is why you know how to fight, you won't get caught. Worse comes to worse you come straight home and we'll find a way to hide you." He pulls his daughter into a hug, "This whole Rebellion can burn to the ground for all I care, as long as you're safe! You're a smart girl. I've managed to save enough money for you to bribe the recruitment manager…" He hands Penelope a small light brown leather bag.

Penelope opens the bag and gasps, "There must be over a thousand shillings here! Do you realize how much this is?! We could've fixed the hut, bought food, your medicine…!"

"I saved it…" He interrupts, "Since you turned nine years old, so that you can bribe your way into a camp that's away from the front lines. The further away you are the better." He smiles, "Besides, your half your wages will go to you, and the other half will come back here to me. Don't worry about me at all." A sigh earns him a loud rattling from deep within his chest, "Now…let's eat before the soup gets cold."

Taking the pot off of the open flame, he pours it into bowls and sits across from Penn eating silently. Penn merely nit picks her food, "I don't want to go off to war…my place is here, not fighting against the Emp…"

"There's nothing that can be d…"

"You said we could run!" Penn points out as she raises her voice, "Let's do it!"

"Penn, it's not that easy…"

"Why not?!

"I still need to set up the proper connections for if you were to become a deserter. It's difficult to do, you know in this town anyone will rat you out for a couple shillings or a scrap of bread."

Grabbing her bowl, Penn heads out the door and sits with her back against the hut. Looking around at the dirty town she shakes her head. There wasn't a single sign of green life anywhere, the air is so severely polluted that smog storms at times make it impossible for one to see two inches away from their face, and the water was dirty with sewage and waste from factories. They were technologically advanced, but so far behind in a technical sense all at the same time.

Her thoughts drift to that of the war. Her father often talked of his time in the war, the atrocities committed between soldiers, and of the unstable cause they were fighting for. The Rebellion's solution to the monarchy of the Empire was a fascist state of government. Taking a couple bites Penn sighs; if she were to fight she wanted to fight for equality, and freedoms; not just to switch who was the head guy in charge.

Drooping her shoulders in defeat, Penn walks back inside, "When do I need to leave for the camp?"

Her father gestures to the letter as he sets the bowl in a wash basin "Read it and find out."

Ripping the letter open, Penn reads out loud as she continues to eat, "…Penelope Hedera, the Rebellion would like to congratulate you on sixteen years of living under our protection. Now it is time for you to serve for our cause. Report to the campsite beyond Erevu Village to the West before the second Thursday of Spring. Failure to report without probable cause such as pregnancy, disability, or severe illness will result in justified punishment. Bring only what you can carry. Long live the Rebellion."

Her father grabs her now empty bowl, "The second Thursday of Spring? That's soon, and Erevu Village is about a two day walk from here. If you leave tomorrow afternoon you should make it just in time. That will give you time to say good bye to your frie…"

"I don't have friends…" Penn mutters to herself. It wasn't that the girl was anti social, there was simply a lack of youth around her age that she could genuinely get along with. Most of the people in her age group were whisked away from war, or died of illness due to famine. She turns to the overalls on the counter and picks them up, letting them unfold. She would have to roll up the pant legs but she didn't mind. "With these…I'll be a real mechanic." She explains as she smiles, trying to be optimistic of her ordeal. "Maybe we'll get lucky and the Rebellion will offer us a job in their headquarters in Bastion. We'd be living the high life then."

"Well Miss. High Life. Go to bed, you have a big day tomorrow…and I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for being late." Her dad pulls her into a tight embrace, "I love you Penn. No matter what happens, what you see while at war or what you have to do to survive the experience…I will always love you and be proud of you."

Penn bites her lower lip fighting back tears. Normally she tried pulling off the tough guy act, but sometimes she'd give into softer emotions. "I love you too Pops…please take care of yourself." When the hug is released she asks, "Will I have any breaks to come home?"

"The Summer Festival and the Winter Festival. Those are the only two times a year that you'll be able to come home." Pops ruffles her hair, "Don't worry about me. Now off to bed."

Penn climbs a latter that's off at the edge of the kitchen. Up in the small second floor is a pile of hay, a small pillow, and a dirty ripped blue blanket. Laying down she hears her dad retire to his hay pile in the living room. Try as she did, anxiety and fear kept her plagued her constantly refusing to allow her even a wink of sleep. Thoughts race through her mind; what if she couldn't impress them with her skills? What if she were to be shot at?

Tossing and turning until sunrise, Penn decides to get ready as she hears her dad wake up. Putting on her new uniform for the first time she takes a moment to appreciate the light blue color and the soft denim fabric. Fixing her hair she climbs down the stairs and sees her father cutting two small pieces of bread from a loaf and smearing the last of the butter onto it.

"Eat up, you'll need the energy." Sitting down at the cracked wooden table he watches his daughter begin her meal, "Do you know for a fact where you're going?"

"Yeah Pops." Penelope smiles, "I've been to Erevu village before."

"Right." He takes a bite of bread, "Be sure to write to me often." He points a stern finger at her, "And no dating till you're married."

Penn's eye brows knit together in confusion as she tilts her head, "Pops that makes no sense…I wouldn't marry anyone I couldn't date or get to know. By that logic I'm never going to have any kind of relationship."

He chuckles as he finishes off his bread and cleans up, "Exactly my point. You've got a good head on your shoulders; you don't need to be worrying about some idiot boy." He grabs a large cloth and starts filling it with small amounts of food. "This should last you till you reach the camp. If for some reason you need more, you remember how to hunt right?"

"Yes sir." Penn mutters as she rolls up her pant legs so that her boots wouldn't rip them as she walked. The next couple hours, the two spend it packing a small bag of essentials, and reviewing the basics of mechanics. As soon as the sun was at its highest, Penn and her father stop and stare at each other before sharing a tearful embrace. "I-I'll miss you Pops…"

Her father reassuringly strokes her hair and speaks softly, "I will miss you as well my little Penn. I'll see you in the summer okay?" He steps back and smiles, "I'm so proud of you. You look so much like your mother…and those overalls are a reminder to me that you're an adult now." He kisses her forehead, "You better get going Penn, I love you."

Drying her wet eyes Penn nods, "I-I love you too Pops…b-bye…" Taking a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself, she begins her journey west.

Footsteps echo within stone walls as a middle aged man briskly marches down a candlelit hallway. Dressed in clothes fit for a noble, the olive skinned man's dark eyes stay focused on two large doors at the end of the hall. Grabbing the cold handles he opens the door to see the ruler of Rutuba sitting at his desk. An air of arrogance surrounds the blue eyed sandy haired man as he stares intently at a map riddled with notes on it.

The blue eyed man looks up at smiles, "Alistair! You son of a bitch! Get over here."

Alistair laughs as he strolls over, "Marcellus, you called me all the way from my throne in Gora…" He stops laughing and his scarred face turns serious, "What is it that you want? Surely it's not to talk."

"Ah Alistair, you're always so serious." Marcellus gestures to the map, "As you can see, the Rebellion is spreading…soon it will leave my peninsula and be in your mountains. They plan to over throw our governing systems. I have a simple proposition for you. We combine our lands in marriage. Your son with my lovely daughter."

Taken aback from the offer Alistair coughs and to clear his throat as he responds with this gruff voice, "Why the sudden action? Shouldn't your armies be strong enough to handle them?"

"The Rebellion has proved to be…a nuisance. It's difficult to fight an army when most of your land is starving, wouldn't you agree?" Marcellus stops for a moment, "I wouldn't turn to you if I didn't need to. The reason I'm proposing this is because I know your country of Gora is facing similar issues with famine, drought, and disease. The Gods have spoken to me…"

Alistair raises a confused eye brow, "The Gods…? Marcellus have you been feeling alrig…"

"I've been feeling fine! The Gods have told me to combine our lands, and then purge them of the Rebellion scum through use of the spirits!"

Assuming that Marcellus has lost it, Alistair shakes his head, "Marcellus, do you hear yourself? You actually believe that these spirits exists?"

Marcellus shakes his head, "Alistair, you don't believe me?" A grin grows on his face, "I don't believe in them, I _know_ they exist." He laughs, "Follow me and I shall present to you my current prize." He pauses as if to listen to something unseen, "I've just been told of a new proposition that I should give you…" He gestures for Alistair to follow him to the door he just entered, "Prepared to be amazed my old friend…"


	2. Pact Price

A teenage boy yawns as he stretches out in his king sized plush bed. Sitting up he rubs his chocolate eyes before scratching light brown hair. His morning wake up ritual is interrupted when an older maid walks into his room after knocking, "Young Master Shay, your father wishes to speak to you."

"Right…" Shay yawns as he shoos away the maid, "Go away. I'll be there in a moment."

An irritated look crosses the maid's face, but without a word she leaves. Dragging himself to a suitcase of his belongings Shay mutters to himself as he dresses in a brown leather tunic and dark pants. "I hate coming to this stupid country. All the way here, peasants kept trying to stop our cart begging for money." He lightly laughs to himself, "They claim they're out of bread, so why don't they eat cake?" Running a hand through his hair he walks down the stone halls and finds Alistair waiting for him in a large ball room.

Large windows lined side by side allow copious amounts of light in, along with what would be a beautiful sight of the land, if it were in fact still beautiful. Alistair smiles, "Shay, today you begin a new journey."

"Eh?" Shay stretches, earning a loud pop to emit from his back, "What do you mean?"

"Marcellus has captured the elemental spirit of fire." Alistair explains, "You are to create a pact with it by slaying the current pact maker. When your pact is formed, you will be tasked with collecting the other spirits and bringing them back here to me and Marcellus."

Shay raises an eye brow, "So I have to risk my life to subdue some mythical creature, and collect other mythical creatures for you and your drinking buddy? Sorry Dad, I just don't feel like doing that." He gives a mischievous grin, "You could though give me more shillings to have a wild night at a vil…"

"Shay!" Alistair scolds as he raises his voice. Instantly Shay feels smaller and he begins to take his father seriously. "We are doing this to save the countries of Rutuba and Gora! With the combined power of the spirits we can take out the Rebellion here, and expand our power."

"Wait. Marcellus is just going to let me have this power?" Shay asks skeptically. "Why doesn't he keep it? Or better yet, give it to you? I'm sure you'd love it."

"We're both not as young as we use to be Shay." Alistair explains as vexation burns strongly in his eyes. "Having you end this war with the power of the spirits will allow you to rule without issue when the time comes…" They way Alistair trails off, Shay knew there was to be more information given when they would be in a more private setting.

"So what does Marcellus get out of this besides kicking out some resistance group?" Shay questions as he picks at his ear.

"You will have the pleasure of marrying my lovely daughter Rosette. Thus combining our two countries together into one great force." Marcellus explains as he enters the room with a young woman trailing behind him.

Shay's eyes widen and he immediately stands straight upon seeing the girl. Sure he'd seen pretty girls before, but this one was simply beautiful. Shay had to keep his jaw from dropping as he stares at wide blue eyes, waist length silky blond hair, fair completion, and a full figure. Curtsying in her simple blue dress, Rosette smiles, "Hello Shay. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Alistair, seeing that his son appeared to be frozen in place, shoves him forward. Shay offers a small bow, "I-It's a pleasure to meet you as well Rosette." Internally he frowns, sure this girl was beautiful, but could he really say he wanted to be married after just meeting her? He wanted to be free, to goof around, and to not be tied down to one girl. Surely, Shay inquires to himself, this girl must feel the same unless she's just blindly following her father's orders.

Marcellus smiles, "You will marry Rosette after you prove yourself by getting the spirits. Do this and you'll have the combined wealth and power of both Rutuba and Gora."

The phrase wealth and power strikes interest in Shay. Sure he'd be married, but who's to say a King of two counties couldn't have a few lovely ladies by his side? With a grin Shay nods, "Alright. Marcellus, when do I fight this spirit?"

"Ah! That eagerness!" Marcellus whacks Shay on the back, "I like that! This afternoon you will fight the dreaded thing! Now, let us all go enjoy some breakfast and let the two love birds get acquainted!"

Penn groans as she stands in line for what seems to be forever. Just before she thought she was going to die of boredom she goes up to a solider at the desk. Dressed in a pale blue uniform and crisp hat he holds out his hand, "Give me your papers." Handing over the paper work he gives it a quick scan, "Penelope Hedera…and you're…?" He raises an eye brow her overalls, "You're a mechanic?"

Penelope nods curtly, "Yes sir, best in the whole town of Gilchrist."

The solider stares at her skeptically, "Alright…then you can go to…"

Just as Penn goes to reach for the shillings to bribe the solider with, a wrinkled hand lands on her shoulder. "Hey!" The husky voice nearly makes Penn leap out of her skin. She turns around and sees an older woman. Wrinkled skin smiles as green eyes shine, "I want this one. Send her to me."

The solider sighs as he looks at the gray haired larger woman, "Are you sure? I think she's fibbing about being a mechanic. There's no way a scrawny kid like this can…"

"Nonsense!" The woman's loud voice seems to scare the younger solider. "I'll determine that! She's coming with me. They sent me here to pick my new protégé and I choose this kid."

"A-Alright she's yours…" The solider mutters as he fills out the paper work. "Off to Dilna for you." Penn blinks in surprise as the older woman grabs her by her small wrists and starts dragging her away. Dilna was a large distance away from the front lines; Penn looks up at the woman who just saved her one thousand shillings.

"Thank you Miss…"

"Call me Mom! That's what everyone at the factory calls me." Mom cuts her gaze to Penn, "What's your name kid?"

"P-Penelope, but please call me Penn." She mutters as she struggles to keep up with the woman's pace.

"I saw you were reaching for money to pay that man off." Mom stops in her tracks and stares Penn down with a disapproving glare. "Where did you get that much money?"

Penn gulps fidgeting under Mom's powerful gaze, "My dad gave it to me, so I-I wouldn't be near the front lines. He told me to pay my way into safety."

Mom's gaze softens, "Good. I thought you stole it." She releases Penn's wrists. "Let's get your equipment, and get on a carriage to Dilna." Walking to an equipment shed, Mom starts handing Penn essentials such as a tooth brush, a comb, some bedding, and finally her tool belt. "Now kid. I'm not going to baby sit ya, you're going to work, and work hard! Got it?"

"Yes Mom." Penn mutters as she looks down. She suddenly feels tears rushing down her face and an overwhelming sense of home sickness bubbling up in the deepest pit of her stomach.

"And you'll be…! Eh?" Mom stares at Penn for a moment. "Hey…" She pulls the girl into a hug, "Don't let them see you cry here. You'll be targeted." Mom pats Penn's back soothingly, "Toughen up now. Mom won't let anything happen to ya."

Penn drags her arm across her face trying to dry her tears, "S-Sorry…"

Mom shakes her head when she sees that Penn couldn't contain herself, "Look if you stop your crying we'll go get something to eat before we le…"

"Okay!" Penn's face immediately lights up and she grabs Mom's arm, "Come on! Let's get the rest of my supplies and then go!"

Stunned for a moment, Mom suddenly roars with laughter. Clutching her stomach as if it were going to burst, "You're just like my son! Willing to do anything for a bite to eat! Come on."

Panting and applying pressure to his bleeding arm, Shay hides behind a pillar. Alistair watches anxiously from a platform high up that's over looking the battle zone of pillars. Shay had used the resulting smoke from a previous attack to hide himself and recover. Alistair glares at the pact maker; he's just a boy younger than his son.

Round in the face, the pact maker has flames surround his body in a swirl. He glares up at Alistair, Marcellus, and Rosette but doesn't utter a word. Instead the hazel eyed youth turns his raven colored head towards where he thought Shay to be. His skin is littered with evidence of days of abuse at the hands of the Imperial Army.

Marcellus smiles, "Shay seems to be having trouble. This is good."

"No it isn't!" Alistair snaps. "My son is going to die at the hands of this…this beast!"

"Have faith Alistair, our dear pact maker has been in my captivity for a few days. If my soldiers can handle him, your son should be able to." Marcellus turns to Rosette, "What do you think of this fight?"

Rosette leans forward, gripping onto the railing to keep from peering over too far. "It's rather interesting I must say. Although, I feel as if Shay might need some help."

Shay takes in a sharp breath before wiping his brow of sweat, and tightening the grip on his sword. He knew exactly what he needed, a small black container that lies right next to his enemy. He looks at the strange handle of his blade before charging forward.

The boy smirks with Shay's sudden appearance, the fire swirling around him flies towards Shay at incredible speed. Shay dives out of the way, rolling on the ground towards the boy. Scrambling to his feet, Shay slashes his blade at the boy, earning him a soundless cry of pain from his adversary. Stepping back, Shay quickly picks up the black container and pulls out two bullets. As he loads them into the handle of his sword, the boy stumbles back clutching his bleeding stomach.

The fire around the boy takes shape of a muscular man with a bald head, sharp nose, and square jaw. His charred skin is cracked in some areas revealing power flames burning underneath. Having no legs only flames as he floated in the air he growls at Shay, "Boy! Prepare to burn!" He turns to the younger lad, "Lucas, you and I have formed a strong bond. I don't wish to lose our pact, finish him off!"

Before Lucas can attack, Shay points his blade at him. Near the handle is what appears to be the barrel of a gun, Shay pulls a trigger and the bullet fires out into Lucas's chest. Eyes wide, Lucas grasps his chest and opens his mouth the scream but no noise is made. Falling to his knees, Lucas struggles to breathe as his world starts to blur.

Marcellus, gestures for a solider to run into the battle field. "Good job Shay! Now for the other requirement of the pact process…"

"Wha…AH!" Shay's eyes widen and he screams in pain as the tip of a blade emerges from his stomach. Behind him is the solider that Marcellus ordered into the field.

Alistair's eyes widen as he grabs Rosette drawing his blade and placing it at her throat, causing her to cry out. "What did you do Marcellus?!"

Marcellus just laughs nonchalantly, "For a pact to be formed, both sides must be on the verge of dying. The flame spirit wouldn't dare let himself die; the whole elemental balance of the world would go into chaos. Your son will come out of this unharmed, that is depending on what his pact price will be…"

"What do you mean?! What price?!" Alistair shouts as he presses his blade deeper onto Rosette's throat.

"Patience Alistair. Patience." Marcellus turns his attention back to the fight.

The flame spirit roars in pain as he watches Lucas slowly die. He shouts in an unknown language once Lucas passes before he stalks towards Shay. "We're both dying. I cannot heal myself without forging a new pact…" The flame spirit starts to burn out as he holds a charred looking hand out towards Shay. "Bite my hand boy. Drink the blood of a spirit, and I will drink the blood of a human."

Shaking, and seeing double Shay bites down on the flame spirit's hand. Immediately a metallic taste fills his mouth as he swallows, and he feels a stinging sensation on his hand. Looking and seeing the flame spirit drinking his blood, Shay suddenly begins to feel his body heating up. No longer feeling pain from his wounds, to his surprise Shay discovers that his wounds were now gone. "What…?"

"I am the flame spirit named Moto. By the exchanging of our blood, our lives are now synched with each other." Moto folds his arms and narrows his eyes at Shay. "You have killed my previous pact maker, and I will make sure your pact price will make you and those around you suffer."

Shay tilts his head slightly confused, "Pact price…?"

"Yes. In return for the use of my power, I will take something from you." Moto smirks revealing his sharp, white teeth. "You pact price will be equanimity. You will hold no control what's so ever over your anger." He begins to chuckle madly, "Your anger will consume you, and you'll destroy everything in a fit of rage. Only another elemental spirit will be able to stop you."

Before Shay can protest, his whole body erupts in flames. Screaming, Shay grabs his head as Moto disappears into his body. Feeling like he was being burned alive, but having no physical evidence of injury Shay soon blacks out.

Eye's wide Alistair releases Rosette and runs out a near by door to make it to his son. Marcellus lightly laughs, "That was rather enjoyable wouldn't you say so Rosette?"

"Yes father it was." Rosette smiles, "Now I know what I'm in for after marriage." Her smile turns into a cruel smirk, "Once he collects the other elements, and we defeat the Rebellion…I'll take Moto's power for myself." She gives her father a disapproving look, "Like how it should've been in the beginning.

"Nonsense. Princesses don't fight in wars." Marcellus explains, "Besides, let him do the hard work, and you can just easily kill him in his sleep. Once all the elements are in our control, we'll expand your rule."

Shay wakes up to his father kneeling over him. "Shay! Shay! Are you okay?!"

"Y-Yeah…" Shay sits up and holds his head, "I just feel a little woozy…"

Alistair carefully pulls up his son, and loops his son's arm around his neck. "Come on, let's get you to bed. Do you still want to do this? We could take off with Moto's power now and…"

Shay shakes his head, "Gora…is in turmoil. As much as I hate to admit it…we need Marcellus's help or else our own subjects are going to be rioting in the streets. I'll find the other spirits, and bring them back here."

A few days later, Penn punches out for the day at the workshop where she was assigned to work. The workshop is connected directly to a factory, so that if something broke in the factory it could be fixed that day. Taking a quick shower, she returns to her bland room with only a bed, dresser, and one lone window. Raising an eye brow Penn notices an envelope that must've been slipped underneath her door when she was away. Looking at the return address she smiles, "Dad must have gotten my letter for Ms. Sarah to know where I am!"

Upon opening the letter her smile immediately falls and her face turns sheet white. Written in neat cursive, Ms. Sarah explains in several lines about how Pops was getting worse since Penn's absence. Between herself and Pops, they couldn't afford the medicine that he so desperately needed. In the last few lines, the kind woman promises to care for him the best she could.

In a state of panic Penn immediately starts to pace, "What am I going to do?! Pops is sick a-and…!" She comes to a halt when an idea hits her. "The medical squad!" Grabbing the bag of shillings she runs out of her room to the medical ward.

Since the area of Dilna, receives no action from the war, most of the patients were receiving treatment for training injuries and minor illnesses. After making an appointment and waiting for her turn, Penn enters a tent where a young man in his twenties is waiting. Adjusting his lab coat he raises an eye brow at Penn, "Alright, what's ailing you? Chest hurts from the fumes in the factories? Sore muscles?" Brown eyes make a quick judgment as he observes Penn.

"Actually…" Penn takes a deep breath and stares the honey colored haired man as she pulls out the money. "My father is severely ill with a lung disease." She sets the bag upside down and allows all the shillings to fall out, and onto a wooden table. "I wish to buy the medicine from you and send it back to him."

The man looks over the money, "What are his symptoms?"

"There's a loud rattling in his chest, he isn't as strong as he use to be, and he quickly runs out of breath." Penn's eyes hold desperation, "Please! You have to help me help him!"

"There's only a thousand shillings here." The man points out. "For all the medicine he needs, this will only cover a month of supplies."

Penn's eyes widen, "O-Only one month?!" She curses under her breath, "Then I'll do it! I'll be back next month to buy mor…"

"You can't make that much money here in one month." The doctor mutters as a grin appears on his face. "Trying to bribe a doctor to give you medication? I could get you into huge trouble." He takes a few steps towards her.

Penn stands tall, "I'm not afraid, I just want to help him. So if you're not going to sell me the medicine then…"

"Oh I'll sell you the medicine, I'll take the money this time but what will you do next time?" Before Penn can answer, the doctor corners her against the wall of the tent, "Next time you can pay me with your body."

Caught off guard Penn gulps, "E-Excuse me?"

The doctor touches her cheek, "Next time you need the medicine come in here and we'll…make a quick exchange."

Emerald eyes narrow as Penn shoves the doctor away, "Get away you freak!"

"Look…!" Penn interrupts the doctor by slamming a fist into his cheek.

"Stay away from me!" She growls. "I'll find another way you sick jerk."

The doctor stumbles back from the punch and grabs his jaw while wincing. In doing so he knocks over a metal tray. "Little bitch." He glares, "No other doctor here is going to accept your bribe. I'll make sure of that. So either make this deal or your dad can drown in his body's own fluids."

Stunned for a moment, Penn looks down as her fists shake in rage. "…f-fi…"

"There's no need for that!" Penn looks up and sees Mom standing in the entry way of the tent.

"M-Mom?!"

"Heard the whole thing from outside as I was getting my back brace." Mom explains as she glares at the doctor. "Sell this poor kid the medicine! And don't worry about the next payment. I'll cover that!" Mom narrows her eyes as she cracks her knuckles, "Don't you dare let me hear of something like this again. I will make you regret the day you put on that lab coat."

Shaken to the core, the doctor nods before turning to Penn and glaring. "Fine. Wait here and I'll go get it." When he disappears, Mom walks over to Penn. Before Penn could say anything, Mom's open palm strikes her across the face.

Wide eyed and confused, Penn cradles her cheek as she looks up at Mom's disapproving glare. "Don't you ever sell yourself for anything! You could've asked me for help instead of being so willing to give up your dignity!"

Biting her lower lip Penn hangs her head in shame, "S-Sorry…" Soon the doctor returns and takes the shillings, shoving the medicine into Penn's arms.

"See you next month, have another thousand shillings ready." With that the doctor takes his leave.

Mom places a strong hand on Penn's back and begins to usher the girl, "Come on. Let's go get my back brace and have a little talk. Seems like there's much to discuss." The two head into another tent, where Mom chats up a different doctor before grabbing exactly what she needed. After wards, the duo walks out behind the workshop and sits on a few large pieces of steel. "Penelope. You're always so quiet while you work. Tell me about your family."

A silence falls between the two before Penn takes a breath, "Well…in the house, it's just me and my Pops. My mother died when I was too young to remember her. We use to live in a village near the front lines, and then once my mother was shot and killed my father took me to Gilchrist." Penn smiles a bit, "Pops is the greatest man around! He taught me everything I know but…" Her smile falls, "A few years back he began to get very ill, and that's when we discovered the disease in his lungs…when that happened I took charge. I began taking care of the work and most of the house work."

Mom drapes an arm around Penn, "You are just like my son. He was a great kid."

"Was?" Penn frowns, "As in he's…?"

Mom regrettably nods, as her face begins to show a much softer side. "He was just seventeen years old. He was a mechanic and worked with me often. You see Penn; I've never left military work. At the time myself and my son needed the guaranteed shelter and food. One day, there was a raid on our workshop. The Empire's army rushed in and started killing anyone they could see." The older woman tears up, "I was ill that day and wasn't working…but…they killed my son. They stabbed my poor Edmund in the stomach, and he bled to death." Her voice begins to shake, "A day doesn't go by, that I don't think about him…and that's why, I like getting sent the younger recruits. So I can protect them, be their mother while they're here."

Penn absorbs the story, thinking about how much she absolutely hated the war. "Mom…you're a great person." She offers a smile, "Thank you for looking out for me."

The smile returns to Mom's face as she puts up her tough façade, "Anytime kid. Now come on, let's go get some dinner. You're nothing but skin and bones! By this time next week, I'll have you eating so much that you might actually fit into your clothes!" Laughing the pair takes off to the mess hall.


	3. Mother Nature

Weeks pass since Penn sent the medicine back to her father; together her and Mom were pulling doubles and saving every penny they got to collect the thousand shillings. Penn laughs as she tightens a bolt on a machine, "And then Mom, I called Mike's bluff on his hand of cards." She covers a smile, "I ended up getting him in only his boxers before I took off running with his clothes."

Mom roars with laughter, "That poor soldier has been trying to get you to date him for two weeks now Penn." Mom shakes a screw driver at the girl in a scolding matter. "He's a nice boy, give him a chance. I've seen the way you've been looking at him lately. You even volunteered to personally fix his machines at the factory. "

Penn shakes her head with a slight blush, "No. Soldiers are moving targets, if I get too attached to one of them…" She places a hand on her heart, "And they were to be shot…I think my heart would break in two…" She shakes her head to clear it, "Enough with the mushy stuff, besides Mom, Mike is cool and all but…" She taps her head, "I can tell there isn't much going on up here."

The two continue to bicker over Mike until their supervisor walks over. Only known as The Supervisor, a woman stands tall in a crisp light blue uniform. Her dark eyes keep a hawk like gaze on the two. "Something's wrong with one of the machines in the factory. Go check it out so we can continue production."

"Thanks for being specif…" Penn winces as Mom nudges her in the side roughly with her elbow. "I-I mean yes Supervisor. We'll go check it out." With a curt nod, The Supervisor walks off.

Mom shakes her head, "How many times have I told you to respect The Supervisor?"

Collecting her tools Penn huffs, "I told you Mom, you're the only person here I really trust and respect. I don't even trust Maggie, and she's the first real friend I've had!" She shakes her head as she starts walking with Mom. "I don't like this war one bit. Yes I believe the Empire needs to go, but with what the Rebellion has in mind is…"

Mom's hand covers Penn's mouth, "Don't utter another word carelessly like that again!" She lowers her voice to a hushed whisper. "You say the wrong thing and they'll lock you up, you here me? Wait till you're away from their gazes before opening your mouth to speak your opinion. Nod if you understand." Penn just gives a quick nod, and Mom removes her hand. "Good, now come on let's see what's wrong with the factory."

The factory, as Penn came to find out, was operated by soldiers on their time off so that they could earn extra money. Penn had come to the dark, musty factory a few times to fix a conveyor belt or two. As the two walk into the damp, smoky environment a large sweaty worker approaches the two, "Are you two here to fix the pipes?"

"Well what's wrong with them? Leak? Blockage?" Mom asks as she starts to rotate her wrists.

"We think there's a blockage near the steam compressor in the middle of the building and in the southern end of the building. The pressure in the pipes is very high, and as you know that could…" Interrupted by an explosion, the whole factory shakes and workers scream. "Wh-What was that?!"

A little freaked out, Penn trembles a bit having never heard or felt an explosion before. "It sounded like it came from the south end…maybe that pipe busted."

Mom narrows her eyes, "No…a pipe bursting wouldn't make that much of a racket…" She raises her large nose into the air, "And I smell a fire…" Sudden realization hits, and the old woman takes off running towards the back.

"M-Mom?" Penn and the man who greeted them struggle to keep up with Mom as she navigates through the factory. "Mom wait!"

Mom shows no signs of hesitation at all as she skids to a stop in front of the explosion sight. Fire burns as people run from it, and Mom picks up a piece of shrapnel. Her eyes widen as she yells to near by supervisors, "It's a bomb! The Empire has done this before! They use a bomb the size of our pipes to clog them, then the resulting pressure and heat of the steam sets it off. Everyone evacuate! If that last bomb goes off in the center this whole place will go down!"

If they weren't already running, workers were now running. Penn gulps, "Is there anything we can do?"

"No. It's too dangerous Penn…" Mom grabs Penn's hand and starts quickly heading for an exit. "This place will fall down in a matter of minutes; we'll just go to a different camp site."

Penn takes a moment to register what Mom had just said. If they moved to a different village, it is most likely that she'd be closer to the front lines, and she'd have to bribe new doctors for Pop's medicine. Jerking her wrist away, Penn starts running for the compressor in the center of the factory.

Mom's eyes widen when she sees Penn running, "Penn stop!"

Penelope hesitates for a moment before clenching her fists. "No! I'm going to save the factory!" The smaller girl is able to work her way through the crowd of workers, ignoring Mom's loud protests as she tries to stop her. Out of breath by the time she makes it to the compressor, Penn looks up and sees steam trying to escape its way out of a red hot pipe. "I-I…have to relieve the pressure…" Slamming her hand on a large button on the machine it roars to a halt. Grabbing a wrench from her tool belt, she climbs a near by latter and runs down the cat walk to the pipe. Placing the wrench around the bolt, Penn grunts as she uses her full strength trying to loosen it. When the bolt finally loosens extremely hot steam fires out, the force knocks Penn onto her back severely burning her hands and arms she used to protect her face.

Once the pain finally registers, Penn cries out as her heads shake. Trying to blink away tears she grabs her wrench and gets a quick glance of the pressure gage. "Damn it…still too high…!" Carefully walking down the cat walk to the other side of the pipe Penn prepares to loosen the bolt but stops as blood makes her lose her grip. "Shit!" Quickly ripping a piece of her shirt off she rips it in half, and wraps the two pieces around the palms of her hands. Trying again, this time she's successful at dodging the scolding steam as it shoots out.

Shaking from adrenaline Penn peers down to the pressure gage, "It's much lower; now…get that bomb out of the pipe…" Taking note of the smoke still in the factory, Penn breaks some emergency glass and presses a large button to activate an indoor sprinkler system to douse the flames. Running over to a near by window, Penn forces it open as she climbs an out door ladder up to the slanted roof of the factory.

Mom's eyes widen as she spots the small girl trying to balance on the roof, "Penn! Get down from there right now!"

Penn closes her eyes and braces herself as a strong gust of wind threatens to knock her over. Crutching low, she makes it to the clogged pipe. Disassembling the pipe she reaches down and shakily pulls out a large cylinder that's about the same diameter as the large pipes. Blinking in surprise Penn laughs, "I-I did it…I got the bomb out!" Realization kicks in as she begins to freak out, "I-I'm holding a LIVE BOMB!"

Before she could manage to blow herself up, Mom and The Supervisor run up onto the roof. The Supervisor quickly alleviates Penn of the bomb; pulling out a dagger, she slices a few wires to defuse the bomb. "Enemy forces have infiltrated our camp site…must go report this…Penelope!"

Penn nearly leaps out of her skin, "Y-Yes?"

"Your bravery saved our factory, and many lives. Thank you." The Supervisor picks up the now dead bomb, "For your services you may make a small request of the…"

"Medicine!" Penn interrupts. "Medicine for my Pops! He needs it, and I can't afford it!"

There's a long pause before the woman nods, "Alright. Write down what he needs and your address. We'll send the first round soon. Get those hands and arms inspected, a mechanic like you is worthless without the proper use of your limbs." With that she leaves and Mom immediately scoops up Penn into a bone crushing, spine snapping hug.

"Mom…! I can't…!"

"Don't you ever!" Mom yells as she feels herself tearing up, "EVER! Do something stupid like that again! You could've been killed!"

Penn sighs as she looks down, "I-I know…but I didn't want to get sent near the front lines. We would've been attacked. I did it to save everyone here from being put into the line of fire."

Mom smiles and ruffles Penn's hair, "Come on Penelope, let's get your hands patched up and send that medicine order out to your Pops." It wasn't until Penn was in the medical tent, and had a doctor messing with her arms and hands did she realize how hurt they were. She howled in pain and gnawed on her lower lip to keep tears away as the doctor finishes cleaning the burns.

"Penelope calm down, it won't get better unless…"

"It freaking hurts!" Penn snaps. While Penn was getting patched up, Mom fills the forum out for the medicine to be sent to Pops.

The doctor eventually finishes his work, "No work for at least a week, you have to let these burns heal. If the begin to look infected come back immediately. Have a nice day." He walks out and before Mom can speak up a tall man enters the tent.

Battle scars riddle his ebony features as his brown eyes look down on the two mechanics. Wearing a dark green uniform littered with ribbons of wartime achievements, he smiles at Penn. "Penelope, I commend your bravery today." He offers a small bow. "I'm Commander Hines. If you need something, come talk to me personally got that?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. We need more people like you, people who are dedicated to the cause. Hope you heal soon." Commander Hines salutes before walking out.

Mom blinks in surprise, "Penn, you're drawing a lot of attention." She smiles, "You'll go far here. Come on let's get you some rest kid."

Shay groans as he holds his head, "My head…I feel…"

Rosette suddenly embraces him, "Shay!" She smiles, "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Shay looks around, "Yeah…I'm fine. How long was I out?"

_Not if you lose your temper._ Moto's voice warns in his head.

"A day. When do you think you'll be heading out to locate the other spirits?" Rosette asks.

_You're going out to find Zeimia, Maji, and Atem? Interesting…_ Moto muses.

Shay groans, "Ugh…shut up."

Thinking Shay was addressing her, Rosette narrows her eyes, "Excuse me?"

"Huh?" Shay realizes his mistake and shakes his head, "N-No I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to this freak in my head!"

Rosette smiles, "Oh alright." She sits on the edge of the bed, "Are you ready for your journey? Most importantly, are you excited for your reward at the end?"

"Reward…?" Shay shakes his head in disbelief as he sits up, "Rosette, look you're really nice and pretty but…how could you want to marry after just meeting me? I mean don't get me wrong, I want to save our countries but this seems a little wrong."

Rosette hesitates for a moment, "I do agree this is a bit brash, but I'm sure this is for the best." She gently pecks his forehead, "Come back safely and quickly, so that we may end this war."

Shay sighs in understanding as he nods, "Yeah…I'll leave in a few days. I'll be sure to report often. I'll bring the other three spirits here." A pair of soft lips peck Shay's forehead, and with a slight smile Rosette takes her leave. Shay crashes back onto the bed and groans, "This. Is. Going. To. Suck!"

"This. Completely. Sucks!" Penn whines as she follows Mom around a few days after the bomb incident. "Mom let me fix something! I feel useless."

The older woman's eye brow twitches out of annoyance and hisses through her teeth, "Penelope. I've already told you time and time again to go enjoy yourself! Relax; heal your arms and hands."

"But M…!"

"Go appreciate nature or something!" Mom snaps. "You're getting on my nerves with your constant moping."

Penn closes her eyes as she mutters, "I'd appreciate nature if there actually wer…" Penn looks up at Mom and faces a deadly glare. "A-Actually…I think I'll get going." She nervously laughs, "Bye!" She high tails it out of the factory before Mom could strangle the scrawny thing.

"Hey Penn!" A masculine voice calls out. Penn turns and when she sees who was approaching her she turns sheet white. Marching towards her is Mike, fully clothed, unlike last time, and with a light scowl contorting his features. With short copper colored hair, blue eyes, muscular build, and a strong jaw he slows down as he nears Penn.

"Hey Mike…" Penn offers an innocent smile, "Found where I hid your clothes?" She observes his gray training pants and white tee shirt. They appeared to be too fresh, and nicely colored to be a used uniform.

"No." Mike mutters as his irritation shows. "Penn do you realize how many people saw me trying to sneak back into camp?"

"Then you must become better at being sneaky." Penn argues.

Rubbing his temples Mike lets out a sigh of frustration, "Penn look can't you just give me a chance?"

"Why not go pester Sophie? She seems to be interested in you." Penn suggests as she folds her arms.

"Sophie's about as dull as a rock."

"I don't want a soldier."

"And why is that?"

"Because if you got shot I would…!"

A smirk appears on Mike's face, "You would what?" He pokes her shoulder, "Come on tell me."

Penn could feel her face heating up as she feels her stomach churn a bit as she looks down. "I would…" Her heart skips a beat when she feels Mike pushing up her chin. Her eyes widen as suddenly gun fire echoes around the area. Mike tackles Penn to the ground and the two barely dodge bullets. Penn is the first to overcome shell shock and grabs Mike's hand, "Come on!"

Taking cover behind some crates, Penn's ears catch the sounds of commanders ordering return fire. Mike pulls out a switch blade, and begins collecting his breath. "Penn, I'm going to try getting my gun. Head into the workshop and take cover."

"What? No! I'm going to fi…"

"With what training? Penn this isn't a street fight. Theses are trained soldiers, and you're a trained mechanic. Just go!"

With much hesitation Penn nods, "Alright. Be careful." She knew Mike was right; she had no formal training with a weapon, and would most likely just get in the way. Besides her father's words began to replay themselves in her mind. She needed to run. To survive she had to run. After Mike takes off, Penn begins making her way towards a forest, but suddenly stops. "I need to go get Mom!"

Running back into the smoke filled camp thanks to the gun powder, Penelope hides as two Empire soldiers briskly run towards the mess hall in their gray button up uniforms. "Captain said to capture as many as possible. To not let any Rebellion scum escape."

"Heard we're going to make an example of them." The shortest of the pair mutters. "That would be interesting to see."

Waiting for the men to pass, Penn was even more determined to escape with Mom. The old woman wouldn't fair well as a prisoner of war. Running into the factory, Penn quickly finds Mom standing over an unconscious Empire solider. Two hammers in hand she looks at Penn, "Penn we have to get out of here." She hands Penn one of the hammers, "This will be your weapon okay? Come on!"

Penn takes the hammer and nods, "Come on we'll head for the woods, and run towards Gilchr…"

"There's more over here!" An Empire soldier shouts.

Mom grabs Penn's wrist and the two begin running through the workshop. Bursting through the back door, Mom runs into the thick smoke after releasing Penn's wrist. "Mom…! Mom wait!"

Penn's voice is drown out by the whizzing of bullets, wondering through the smoke without any sense of direction what's so ever. Penn manages to locate some trees as she's out of breath panting. "Where is she?!" Taking in a sharp breath Penn cups her hands around her mouth, "MOM!"

Seeing a figure emerging from the smoke, Penn smiles until she sees the glint of a gun barrel. A flash of fire erupts from the gun, revealing a young woman behind the trigger.

Narrowly missing, the bullet zooms past Penn's head. With a shriek, Penn takes off running through the trees trying to evade her pursuer. Taking shelter from gun fire behind a tree trunk, Penn tries to regain her breath silently as she hears the sound of sticks snapping under someone's feet. Knowing that running now would result in a bullet in her back; Penn tightens her grip on her hammer. Quickly leaping out from behind the tree, she closes her eyes and swings at the approaching soldier. The blow knocks the woman down with a spray of blood coming from her face.

Taking in a sharp breath Penn swings down onto the soldier to smash her brains in when a gunshot stops her dead in her tracks. Over whelming pain strikes as she falls to the ground clutching her side just under her breast. Holding the smoking gun, the female soldier kicks the smaller girl hard in the stomach earning her a yelp of pain from Penn.

Heart racing and breathing becoming shallow Penn pulls out a switch blade she used mostly to cut wires and lashes at the back of the soldier's knees. When the blade slices into skin, the soldier crumbles and Penn grabs the soldier's shoulder forcing her to face the mechanic. "I'm so…sorry." Penn closes her eyes and winces as she plunges the blade into the woman's chest, and impales her heart. Blood flies out covering the teen as the solider gasps her last breaths.

Shaking in terror, and quite possibly shock Penn stumbles away from the body holding a hand over her mouth. She had just taken another human life, someone who had a family to return to. Someone with their own hopes and dreams. The sound of rustling causes Penn to snap out of thoughts. Taking in sharp breaths, Penn grabs the soldier's gun before approaching the noise.

What she sees catches her off guard. Hunched over a dying old woman is another woman who has forest green skin. A stray bullet intended for Penn must've struck the older woman, Penn deducts as she inspects this green woman more closely. Nude with the exception of leafs covering the basics the woman's green body ends at her mid thigh from which she appears to be floating.

Golden eyes look up to meet Penn's, and the feminine figure stares back. Body length long vine like hair, that's entangled with flowers blows in the wind as her freckled face moves to speak. "You…you're dying." Even though she's delivering a grim prognosis, the voice is gentle and almost reassuring. "You will soon succumb to the bullet in your chest."

Penn's eyes widen as she finds it becoming increasingly difficult to even keep her balance. She was going to die, in the middle of the woods, with no one else to tell her heart broken father except for this strange green woman. Tears burn her eyes and a large lump forms in her throat at the prospect of never being able to see her father again. She hated to admit it, but this woman was right. She grabs onto her chest in pain as she falls to one knee panting. She was going to die, and Penelope was terrified to do so.

She's surprised when the woman reaches out and grabs her shoulders, "I will save you. My pact maker is dead, and I will soon die without a new pact maker. I cannot allow myself to die." She holds out her hand, "Bite my hand so that you may drink my blood. I will bite your hand and drink your blood." A small smile spreads, "Trust me."

Shaking, Penn bites down roughly on the woman's hand. A metallic taste quickly fills her mouth as she drinks blood, and she winces as she feels her own hand being bit. After a moment she feels an overwhelming sense of euphoria. Her eyes widen in surprise as Penn discovers that all of her wounds, including the burns on her hands and arms were now healed. "What just…?" She looks into golden eyes for answers, "Who are you?!"

"I am Zeimia, the earth spirit. We saved each other's lives by consuming the other's blood. Our lives now depend upon each other's existence. I have peered into your memories; know your greatest hopes and fears." Zeimia explains. "My abilities are now yours, but there is a price to my great power."

"Price…?" Penn bites her lower lip, "I have no money or…"

A light giggle interrupts Penn, "I don't require material payment." Zeimia's expression falls, "Your pact price will be an ironic one, considering you're now 'Mother Nature'. I will be taking your fertility." Before Penn could even question what was happening, a sharp pain in her lower stomach causes her to double over. Feeling as if something was clawing out her insides she gives out a scream due to the pain. Legs wobbling and every muscle in her lower body tightening, Penn collapses in a heap of pain. Just before she thought she was going to die from the pain alone, Penn's world goes black and she enters the realm of sleep.


End file.
